


torture: to be or not to be

by halstiel



Category: None - Fandom
Genre: Torture, it's a report i did, that's literally it - Freeform, this isn't a story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2017-01-09
Packaged: 2018-09-15 22:31:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9260807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halstiel/pseuds/halstiel





	

Alexandria *******

CP English II

Ms. ******

December 14, 2016

Torture: To Be or Not To Be

Presently, the world is at war. While bigotry fuels the fire of fear within the nations, it is not unprecedented; there is an active threat against humanity as a whole. When the world is at such extremities, there is a question that must be asked: what can be done to help prevent the deaths of innocents? After the 911 attacks, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) began to use, what they called, “enhanced interrogation techniques” or torture, to try to gather classified information. For years, the CIA was not held accountable for how they treated detainees. After the Bush administration, in January 2009, President Obama issued a Presidential order, stating that the CIA was only to follow the Army Field Manual. A few years later in 2012, Senator Dianne Feinstein and others conducted a Senate Committee Study, detailing what the CIA had done to its’ detainees and published their findings of how torturing their detainees has affected the United States. What the CIA did to the detainees is horrendous and disturbing. Even during times of war, torture should be illegal in the United States. It is ineffective, immoral, and it makes the United States look bad. This brings up another question: What is torture? The basic definition in the Webster dictionary is “something that causes mental or physical suffering.” That is very broad. Mental torture can include threatening to kill detainees’ families, sleep deprivation, blaring loud music in small rooms, forcing them to look at bright, fluorescent lights, playing “Russian Roulette” (which is when someone puts one bullet in the gun, spin the cylinder and shoot) with detainees and so on. Physical torture can be a bit more extensive, but also more controversial. In 2014, CBS created a poll about torture and whether or not it is justified. “More than seven in 10 Republicans (73 percent) and half of independents (50 percent) think these tactics are sometimes justified. Most Democrats (54 percent) do not” (Dutton et. al 2). It’s very important to know whether or not people believe torture is justified, as American society is supposedly democratic. The government is supposed to listen to the entire nation, not just have selective hearing with either and all political parties. CBS also ran a poll about waterboarding and whether or not it is torture. “[Waterboarding is] the sensation of drowning created by either dunking a restrained prisoner in water or pouring water over the prisoner's face . . . Most Americans consider this technique to be torture, including majorities of Democrats (83 percent), independents (67 percent), and half of Republicans . . . Americans who do not consider waterboarding torture is . . . 26 percent” (Dutton et. al 2). To the CIA’s standards, it is an enhanced interrogation technique which they use commonly. Other physical torture procedures can include beatings, rectal rehydration (which is where they feed the prisoners through their rectum, which does not require medical help), and actually shooting detainees while playing “Russian Roulette.” Dehumanization can also be a form of torture, such as forcing them to be nude when interrogating detainees, not providing them a decent living place, et cetera. All of these “enhanced interrogation techniques” were used against the detainees in the CIA’s custody and it was not effective.

Torturing the detainees is ineffective. It causes mistrust within the CIA agents and the detainees, and it can also lead to a lot of confusion if and when a detainee begins to lie. In Senator Feinstein’s Committee Study, there is a specific case to mention. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) is currently keeping residence at Guantanamo Bay, but previously, he was in the CIA’s custody. As soon as KSM was put in their custody, they immediately began to torture him. He then began to provide information about what al Qaeda’s plans were. He lied. He told them that they were recruiting African Americans in Montana to al Qaeda. The information was immediately sent to the FBI, where they began investigating the possibilities of a terror threat. Nothing was there. Time and money was wasted due to the false information gained. “Seven of the 39 CIA detainees known have been subjected to [torture] produced no intelligence while in CIA custody . . . While being [tortured] . . . multiple detainees fabricated information, resulting in faulty intelligence” (Feinstein 9). The detainees who were not subjected to torture gave their information willingly, like Abu Zubaydah (AZ). He was first arrested and sent into CIA custody, where he willing gave them information, like names, places, and how they run their training sessions. Former CIA director Michael Hayden was questioned about AZ, as well as other detainees, and in the interviews, he blatantly lied. “[AZ] reached a point where he refused to cooperate . . . no [significant] progress was being made in learning anything of intelligence” (Feinstein Hayden 462). In the CIA’s reports, AZ continued to  give them information after they began to torture him, but as time went on, the information became unreliable. Most of the plans that were given were infeasible and, in some cases, impossible. The CIA thought AZ had information about a future terror attack against the United States, but he didn’t. That’s what made him uncooperative. AZ wasn’t the only person the CIA lied about. They said 20 detainees provided important information after torturing them that helped lead them to Osama bin Laden, but that too was unfounded. The detainees who were able to give valid information that actually helped the CIA gave the information prior to being tortured or they weren’t tortured at all. Saying that “it works on television/books/movies” does not substantiate the true effectiveness of torture. In 2007, a retired Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent, Jack Cloonan, was interviewed in the documentary “Taxi to the Dark Side.” Before retiring, he was apart of the Osama bin Laden unit. He explained how to conduct a proper interrogation without having to include torture and how it was more effective. “You want to be able to build a rapport with somebody. You are their salvation. Because their life as they know it is over” (Alex Gibney). He then mentions questions to ask detainees, usually bargaining to keep the detainees’ families safe. Overall, torturing detainees did nothing of value for the United States, except harm International relations.

Moving forward, when Senator Feinstein’s report of the CIA’s behaviour was published, there was an immediate backlash from other countries. Simon Bradley collected newspapers from Sweden, finding that they all came to the same conclusion. “Swiss papers agree the damning United States report outlining harsh interrogation techniques used by the CIA on terror suspects has damaged America’s credibility, but publishing the Senate study is a painful price the nation has to pay” (Moyers Bradley 2). China called the United States hypocrites, the Xinhua News agency stating, “The hegemony it has exercised, the inquisition by torture it has practised, and the profound racial inequalities all point to the sheer hypocrisy of the United States as a defender of human rights” (Moyers 2). Even North Korea’s ambassador spoke of what the United States did, calling it “brutal” and “medieval,” according to Anna Fifield, a Washington Post journalist. Andrew Hammond, who writes for Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald stated, “Firstly, [the report’s] publication will embarrass those foreign states . . . which aided the Bush administration and CIA, even though their specific country names are redacted in the Senate publication. Secondly . . . it is likely that publication of the summary report will inflame anti-Americanism in numerous countries” (Moyers Hammond 3). ISIS, which is now a major terror threat against  the Middle East and the world, began with al Qaeda, after the United States invaded Iraq in 2003. One can assume that, after hearing about what the United States has done, it helped fan the flames. One can argue that those countries do the exact same thing, but it doesn’t matter. The United States is supposed to be a democratic country and this is the type of thing Americans are supposed to be repulsed by. Also, other countries were not brought under such scrutiny-- the United States was. The United Nations (UN) demanded the prosecutions of those in the Bush administration who ordered the crimes - torture - against the detainees and the CIA agents who performed any of the torture that didn’t abide by the Army Field Manual. (It is important to note that none were prosecuted.) This is extremely damaging for the United States, as the UN is the one who created the United Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and advocates for human rights.

The United States signed a treaty, made by the UN, called the United Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR are the declared natural occurring rights human beings are given as soon as they are born. 189 countries have signed the treaty, including the United States. While it does not act as a true treaty (the country doesn’t have to abide by the rules strictly), it is still in good taste to follow them. “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” (“UHDR Booklet” 21). It’s completely immoral to torture someone for information and it goes against the natural occurring rights people are given. If the United States didn’t torture detainees, their standing with the UN and rest of the world would be better, and they’d always be sure that they aren’t harming innocent people. Take the case of Gul Rahman. As recorded by CIA records, Gul was repeatedly beaten and “coercive techniques” were used against him without authorization, which could mean a number of things. He was later chained to a wall and forced to sit on concrete, only wearing a sweatshirt. He died. The cause was unknown, but the autopsy showed symptoms of hypothermia. He was innocent. It was a case of mistaken identity. There is no reason that anyone should be tortured, no matter what their crimes are, or what they supposedly are.

Enhanced interrogation techniques used by the CIA do nothing to help the United States; it is ineffective, harms the United States international relations, and is morally wrong, going against the natural occurring rights humans are inherently born with. The facts are clear: torture does not work, which Senator Feinstein’s report discusses. Either detainees lied while being tortured, or the information gathered was incorrect. Not only does it not work, but it harms the international relations the United States has. If other countries harm or torture their own detainees, it cannot be helped if they decide to be hypocritical. Also, the U.S. is a democratic state and torturing their detainees goes against what is morally right. Morally and ethically, it is wrong to harm or degrade human beings for someone else’s own advance, i.e. gathering information, as it states in the UDHR. Making torture illegal would do no harm to the United States, as there are better ways to go about gathering information. As of right now, Senator John McCain created an official bill, reinstating President Obama’s presidential order that the CIA can only follow the Army Field Manual, but that isn’t enough. There are better methods than torture and the United States can never be questioned as a democracy for inhumane acts.


End file.
